MEFFW Prompts
by GoddessTiera
Summary: A place for the prompts from my Mass Effect fanfiction writers group.
1. Prompt 1

"Where the hell is Alenko?" Shepard was currently sitting in a slightly secluded table at one of the nicest restaurants in the Citadel. She had managed to arrange a few days of shore leave for her crew because they all desperately needed the break. Her lieutenant Kaidan was supposed to be meeting her but he was late. She wasn't really sure what was happening between them and they were both a little hesitant to find out since she was his superior officer but two friends could have dinner together right?

A blip on her omnitool drew her out of her thoughts as she received another message from Udina. What part of shore leave was he not getting? He had been trying to meet with her since he found out she was on the Citadel, but she didn't want to talk about Spectre business, she didn't want to talk about Saren, she just wanted to relax.

After deleting the message without opening it, she resumed her watch of the door, expecting Kaidan to walk in any moment but found herself cursing under her breath as Udina and a few others she didn't recognize walked in instead. Of all the rotten luck. Why did they have to chose the same place she had? She needed an escape plan. If he saw her, she would be stuck with them for the rest of the night. She looked around desperately for any other exit when she heard someone say her name. Dammit.

"Commander Shepard?" Wait. That wasn't Udina. Looking towards the direction of the speaker, she locked eyes with her self proclaimed biggest fan Conrad Verner. He was a nice enough guy but she really didn't have time for him and he might draw attention to her. She was going to try to send him on his way but a plan quickly formed in her mind. Yes, this could work.

"Conrad, how is my favorite fan?" Conrad could barely contain his excitement. "You. You remember by name?" "Of course I do and running into you could not have came at a better time. I really, really need your help and as thanks, the next time I see you I will sign whatever you want." Standing up straighter he responded, "It would be my honor to help." "I knew I could count on you." She pointed towards Udina, "Do you see that guy there? I am on a very important mission and he will try to interfere if he sees me so I really need you to distract him while I make my escape. Can you do that for me?"

Nodding his head firmly, Conrad made his way across the restaurant to Udina. When he got close enough, he pretended to trip and knocked the man's drink into his lap. As Udina jumped to his feet raging at Conrad, he started to wipe at the wet clothes with a cloth napkin. "Oh I am so sorry sir. I am so sorry."

Across the room, Shepard couldn't help but laugh at how red Udina's face was turning. Once Conrad had his full attention she swiftly made her way around the perimeter of the room behind them and out the door. Once she was a safe distance away, she sent a quick message to Alenko about the change in plans. She couldn't wait to tell her friends this story.


	2. Haunted

**Promt #2**

Haunted

Cerberus/Ex-Cerberus & Wrex

It always happened the same way. She stood opposite of Wrex, their guns aimed at each other as she pleaded with him to trust her and the moment he started to lower his, Ashley took him out. That was when she woke up. Every time she was forced to watch Wrex die, helpless to stop. All he had wanted was a better future for his people. A raging krogan was a scary thing but she hadn't been afraid. She had trusted him but Ashley had always expressed a distrust for their alien allies. Why hadn't Ashley trusted her? Trusted that she had the situation under control. As soldiers they frequently had to make split second life and death decisions but all she had to do was wait a few more seconds. A few seconds and he would still be here.

It had taken months for the nightmare to stop the first time around. She credited Kaidan and their talks as being what helped her work through it and she thought she was past the incident but when Mordin had requested her help on Tuchanka, they had returned with a vengeance. The prospect of going to her friend's homeworld had revived her feelings of guilt at being unable to save him and had brought the nightmares back.

Kelly had approached her and offered to talk to her. She had expressed concerns that Shepard looked like she wasn't sleeping. She had almost taken her up on her offer but as sweet and sincere as she seemed, she was still Cerberus. They knew about what happened on Virmire but she would be damned if she gave them anything that personal to add to their files. Her ghosts were her own.


	3. You probably shouldn't eat that

Prompt: "You probably shouldn't eat that."

Characters: James Vega / Garrus Vakarian

"497, 498, 499." *grumble* Vega's stomach rumbled loudly. "500." He counted as he dropped from the pull up bar. "Guess it is time to grab some dinner. Esteban you want to go get some food?" "I have a little more work. I will be up in a bit." Nodding at the other man, Vega headed to the elevator and headed to the mess hall. When the doors opened, his nose was assaulted by a strong, interesting smell. Looking for the source, he spotted Shepard stirring something in a pan. As he walked over to her, she looked up and greeted him. "Hey James. This is almost done if you want some." He quickly debated his options. He really didn't want to insult his commanding officer but whatever it was that she was attempting to cook didn't look edible. Maybe it would taste better than it looked. He had seen some really unattractive dishes that were amazing. "Sure. I am starving." Seeing Shepard light up made him decide it was the right choice. "Go sit down and I will bring it to you."

As he sat at the large table, Garrus exited the elevator and joined him. "Shepard is cooking isn't she?" "How did you guess that?" "Experience. You forget how long I have know her." Before he could elaborate, Shepard walked over and placed a plate of something in front of him. "Here you go James. I am gonna take some to Kaidan." "You probably shouldn't eat that." Looking up from the food, and he was being generous, to look at the turian, he spoke. "Is it that bad?" "The last person to try something she made, ended up in the medbay for days. There were fluids leaking out of several orifices." Eyes growing wide, James made a dash for the garbage chute and tossed the mess inside. "Thanks for the warning Scars. I think I am gonna go hide before she comes back and asks me if I liked it. Is the Major gonna be okay?" "Kaidan learned a long time ago not to eat anything she made. He has gotten really good at getting rid of it. His biotics come in really handy. Who do you think ended up in the Medbay?" James would laugh about that for weeks.


	4. Interrupted

Prompt: "interrupted"

Characters: Kasumi / Morinth

Shepard stared at her reflection in the fish tank. She really wished she had a full length mirror but it wasn't something Cerberus had deemed important. It wasn't something she would need usually anyway but tonight was a special occasion. She was going hunting. Samara had asked for her help in tracking down her Ardat-Yakshi daughter and they had discovered where she would most likely be tonight. She would be going undercover to find Morinth and she felt strange to be in a tight dress instead of her armor. She was rarely ever out of military clothing. She had to admit though, it felt nice.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a disembodied voice broke the silence. "You look good dressed up Shep." She whipped around just in time to see the thief Kasumi Goto materialize. "Dammit Goto, you scared the crap out of me. How long have you been here?" "EDI let me in while you were in the shower."

Shepard made a mental note to have a word with the AI later. "What if I had walked out naked?" "I noticed you had laid out the dress but not any underthings. It was a safe bet that you had them with you. Besides, it wouldn't have been anything I hadn't seen already." Shepard tried to fight the blush that was spreading across her face. "Please don't remind me of that. Stupid Ryncol." Kasumi just laughed. "I came to help with your hair. You are terrible at anything other than a ponytail."

Kasumi worked quickly and created a simple updo. "There we go. Lovely but something that will hold." She smiled at her work but it slowly faded as she grew serious. Leaning down she wrapped her arms around Shepard. "I am worried. Morinth has been claiming victims for a long time and she is very good at it. What if Samara doesn't show up in time? I can't lose you too."

Shepard and the thief had been growing closer in the recent months, they weren't quite ready to define what it was between them as Kasumi was still mourning Keiji, but something was definitely there. Shepard twisted around so she could look into Kasumi's eyes. "I promise I will be fine. You researched me before agreeing to help with the Collectors. You know I always win." Kasumi just nodded. She hoped Shepard was right.


	5. Shepard's fish

Prompt: Shepard's Fish

Characters: Shepard / The Virmire Survivor (Kaidan or Ash)

Kaidan felt guilty. The galaxy was being ripped apart, everyday people were dying, but in this moment, he felt happy. Was it fair to feel happy in the face of so much tragedy? He was currently relaxing in his girlfriend's bed watching her fish swim while she showered off the day's grime.

Cerberus's reasoning for putting a fish tank on a military vessel was beyond him. Especially one they intended for Shepard to helm. She couldn't keep a cactus alive. He had to admit they were soothing to watch though.

He was so focused on watching the fish swim that he didn't hear Shepard approach. "It's relaxing isn't it?"

Looking up into the eyes of his girlfriend, Commander Luna Shepard, Kaidan just nodded. He was distracted by the fact that she was wearing nothing but one of his Alliance tees, he knew it was his because it was several sizes too large, to answer properly. Reaching up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down into his arms.

Lately moments like this had become rare. Moments where they could wrap up in each other and pretend that nothing else existed outside this room. Moments where they could just be Luna and Kaidan instead of Commander Shepard and Major Alenko. Lounging in bed may not be the most exciting way to spend time together but when everything else is chaos, calm is wonderful.

Finally it was Kaidan who broke the silence, "So how many fish have you killed?"

"12."

Kaidan tried to contain his laughter but it bubbled out. "Those poor fish."

"I gave them a proper burial," protested Shepard, "and I bought an automatic feeder so it wouldn't happen again." She rolled over on top of him and lightly smacked him on the chest as he struggled to reign in his amusement.

"Don't ever change Luna."

"Not planning on it Major," was her response as she leaned down and kissed him and everything else was forgotten.


	6. Beneath the City

Prompt: Beneath the City

Characters: Jacob / (Zaeed or Liara)

Warning for language because Zaeed. :)

They had been searching since yesterday. Looking for survivors trapped beneath the rubble that used to be a city. Everyone who was still standing after the Reapers had gone down had been recruited. The mercenary Zaeed had been paired with Jacob to search on the Citadel. They were currently under one of the Wards, he was too tired to remember which one at the moment, looking for Shepard.

They had worked in silence for the last hour, both of them desperately needing sleep but neither willing to stop, until finally Jacob spoke, "Do you think she is still alive?"

"If anyone could survive this, it would be Shepard."

"She already beat Death once. How many chances can one person get?"

"As many as she god damn wants. The only reason any of us are standing here right now is because she never stopped fighting. She did the impossible and she deserves to see it."

"Life doesn't always give you what you deserve."

"Don't I fucking know it," replied Zaeed, pointing to his face, "But Shepard never gave up on us so I won't stop god damn looking until we find her."

They went back to searching in silence but there was a tension in the air now. Zaeed knew that the chances of Shepard being alive were slim and that if she was, her chances of staying that way diminished the longer they had to search. He wasn't a religious man but he wondered if it would make a difference if he tried praying.

He owed that girl so much. Even after showing a complete lack of regard for innocent lives in his pursuit of revenge, she had saved his life. She had even continued the search for that bastard Vido. She had managed to gain the services of several merc groups in her fight against the Reapers, and had used the opportunity to track down where he was hiding. She promised they would go together and make sure he didn't get away a second time. She always kept her promises.

He was brought out of his thoughts when both his and Jacob's omnitool received a message. There was only two sentences.

 _ **We found her. She is alive.**_


	7. Talented

Prompt: An unusual talent or skill

Characters: James Vega / Jack (Subject Zero)

It was the smell of food cooking that woke her up. She rolled over and checked the time on the clock by the bed she had claimed. 9:00. "Ugh," she thought to herself. "Who is up this early?" They had spent the better part of the night partying. One big celebration before returning to the reality of the war.

Stumbling to her feet, she went in search of the delicious smell that had wrenched her from her dreams far too early. Stumbling to the kitchen, she found James Vega dancing while he cooked what looked like eggs. "How can you be so chipper so early?" She felt a bit of satisfaction at watching the large Marine jump when she spoke. "Don't sneak up on people like that Tats." Jack just winked as she hopped up and sat on the counter.

"So what's for breakfast?"

"Huevos rancheros."

She watched him cook in silence for a bit before growing bored. Lifting her leg, she grabbed the tie of his apron and pulled the loose bow out. James turned and gave her a look that screamed fix it. Sighing because he didn't seem to be in a playful mood, she reached up with both feet this time and proceeded to retie the bow as he watched over his shoulder in awe. "How did you do that with your feet?"

"I have always had pretty dexterous feet. Can't everyone do stuff with their toes like that?"

"I don't know about other people but I definitely can't tie a bow with mine. Can you pick stuff up off the floor with them?"

"Yeah. I am sure you have something weird skill that no one else knows about."

"I have lots of skills but some of them aren't suitable for public," winking and curling his tongue as he spoke.

"Well maybe you can show me in private one day."

"I may take you up on that." He moved closer to her as he spoke, leaning into her. He had almost met his lips with hers when they heard someone walking down the stairs and he swiftly turned his attention back to his cooking. A moment later, Kaidan walked into the kitchen and headed to the coffee pot. While his back was turned, Jack caught Vega's eye and mouthed, "Raincheck?"

"Definitely."


	8. Baking a cake

Prompt #8

Prompt: Baking a cake

Characters: Kai Leng / Grunt

She jerked awake and only just muffled the scream that threatened to escape. Another nightmare. She hadn't had one in a while and naively thought they had stopped. Showed what she knew. Since she started therapy, the frequently had at least waned.

This one had been particularly bad. Kai Leng took starring role. She had to watch helplessly as he ran Thane through with his sword over and over and then the defeat on Thessia. She tried to stop him but in the dream her body wouldn't move. The worst was the finale when she failed to hear him behind her and instead of impaling him on her omni-blade, he swung his sword down at her and then she woke up. She had to remind herself that he was dead a few times before she could get her heart rate under control.

She had just managed to shake off the dream when a loud clang broke the silence of her bedroom. Jumping up, she grabbed the pistol she kept by the bed and slowly crept down the hall towards the direction of the noise. As she got closer, she could hear voices coming from the kitchen.

"So what's next big brother?"

"Uh…..eggs."

"I can get them."

There was silence and then a crunch sound.

"Oops. I dropped one."

"We only need two anyway."

"I don't think you put in the shell. Mama never does."

She listened to the voices for a few minutes before slowly peeking around the corner. The smile she had been wearing as she listened quickly turned into a look of shock as she observed the carnage. Her kitchen had been destroyed and in the middle of the chaos stood her boys, Grunt and Grim.*

"What are you two doing?" At the sound of her voice, they both jumped and tried to hide what they were doing. She simply raised her eyebrows and they both lowered their heads and stepped aside.

Grim spoke first. "We were baking you a cake Mama. Daddy said it was your birthday." She had forgotten her own birthday. She rarely ever celebrated it so it had never seemed like a big deal. It meant so much that they wanted to do something nice for her. Walking over, she pulled them both into a hug. She had been through so much in her life but it was nice to be reminded of everything good she had.

*Grim is Luna Shepard and Kaidan's adopted krogan son.


	9. Space Hamster

Prompt: The Space Hamster

Character: Commander Shepard

Luna Shepard was angry. She had just left her meeting with Anderson and he had refused to tell her anything about Kaidan. Part of her understood his position, she was working with Cerberus and they were a dangerous organization and he couldn't just hand over Alliance personal information, but the part of her that was desperate to find him wanted to punch him. She continued to make her way through the Citadel, taking no notice of the people who rushed to move out of her way.

She was so distracted that she /almost missed the tiny furball as it ran in front of her. They both stopped at the same time and stared at each other. "Why is there a hamster running loose?" The thought had barely registered before the creature started trying to climb up her pants leg. She leaned down and scooped him up before he could get very far. He quickly ran up her arm and perched himself on her shoulder.

Luna stood there for a moment confused. Had she just been adopted by a hamster? She attempted to remove him but he darted around her neck to the other shoulder. He seemed to have decided he was going with her. He was kinda cute and would probably be easier to take care of than those poor fish, may they rest in peace. "Alright. You win little guy. You are now a member of the Normandy crew." Everyone would tell her later that she was crazy but she could swear that he smiled at her. "Let's go get you a house and some food LT. Then we can go home."


	10. Power Failure

Prompt: Power Failure

Character: Kaidan

14th October

*Bang* "Dammit!" Shepard had to stifle a giggle as she listened to Kaidan stumble around in the dark. He had brought her to his parent's cabin for some much needed R and R but the power at the cabin had gone out and Kaidan had gone to find a lantern. After a few minutes, she heard him returning and saw a soft glow from the light he had found.

"Did you find the problem?" she asked. "Yes," came his response, "My parents should have updated this place years ago. We blew a fuse and there aren't anymore. Looks like I won't be cooking us dinner." She couldn't help but smile at the defeated tone in his voice. He wanted so badly for everything to be perfect.

Standing up and walking over to where he stood, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to him. "I can think of a few things to do that don't require any power and if you are still hungry…." She let the sentence drop off as she saw the realization of her intention show in his expression.

He swiftly scooped her up and ran up the stairs towards the master bedroom. He had barely set her down again before their hands moved and they began undressing each other, stealing kisses in between each item. It would have been easy to rip them off frantically but they moved slowly, savoring the anticipation. Once the last barrier between them was gone, Kaidan easily lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the bed.

Climbing up on the bed without falling over was a bit tricky but he managed to keep them upright. He gently laid her on her back and began to trail kisses across her jawline as he made his way to her neck. He had discovered a spot just behind her ear that caused the most interesting sound to escape her lips. While he was busy with her neck, her hands began to explore his body, her nails gently scraping along his back and his, in her opinion, perfect ass. He rolled his hips in response and they both let out a breathy moan. He had planned to continue the foreplay for much longer but he desperately needed to feel her around him. He shifted slightly and easily slipped inside her.

He had almost forgotten how amazing she felt. All intention of going slow was gone as they moved together until they both cried out in ecstasy. Kaidan moved to lie beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms as they both tried to catch their breath. It was Shepard that broke the silence first, "So, round two?" He pulled her up on top of him and just before he kissed her, he whispered, "You really aren't motivating me to fix the power."


	11. Halloween

Prompt: Halloween

Character: Any

*ding* At the sound of the door, Kaidan glanced at the clock. "Someone is early." He started to head for the door before a loud, "I'll get it." rang out from the other room followed by the very distinct footfalls of his son running to the door. He heard the door open, followed by an enthusiastic, "UNCLE WREX!" As he walked towards the door to greet the krogan and his family, he was nearly trampled by a tiny stampede as Grim and Mordin ran past him, Mordin pausing just long enough to say, "Hello Uncle Kaidan. I am a Scientist Salarian," as she followed Grim in his tiny N7 armor towards his room. He just shook his head at them and went to greet their guests.

Before he could utter a word, Wrex spoke. "What are you wearing?"

"I am Gomez Addams. It's from old Earth vids. Luna loves them. Where is your costume? You know she said dressing up was mandatory."

"I am dressed up. I am a Krogan Clan Leader," he responded with a laugh. Kaidan just rolled his eyes. At least Bakara had made an effort. She had a classic witch hat perched on top of her hood. "So how are things? Haven't seen you since your last meeting with the Council."

"Going fine. Mostly focused on getting Tuchanka back to it's former glory. It is a slow process but our population is increasing and a good portion of building has been completed. The return of our old planets for settlement will keep overcrowding from being a problem. Shepard's support was a big help there." Kaidan began to reply but was interrupted by a cry from the bundle in Bakara's arms. Looking over, Kaidan saw two tiny arms waving around. "Well hello there Shepard. I didn't see you. He has gotten bigger since I saw him last."

"He is going to be running wild with his siblings in no time," replied Bakara, looking down at her child with love.

"Well make yourself at home. You know where everything is and Luna will be down soon. She is still getting her and David ready."

The others began arriving quickly now. Garrus and Tali arrived together, at first he didn't think they were in costume either but he was quickly informed they were characters from Fleet and Flotilla, followed by Grunt dressed as a T-Rex. He needed to remember to get a photo of that before the end of the night. Zaeed showed up as the Terminator and Samara chose to represent her past as a dancer. That garnered her several appreciative looks. Steve and James were Batman and Robin and Joker and EDI in her brand new platform, who were the last to arrive, were dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia. The others had all been invited but had to decline as they were unable to find time away.

They were all sitting in the main living area when Shepard, looking stunning in her Morticia costume, finally joined them. Everyone loved David's Pubert costume, complete with tiny moustache. Now that they were all gathered, the party could begin.

"So, What should we do first?" asked Kaidan.

"Tell scary stories. It's one of my favorite things about Halloween," replied James.

"I've got one." Everyone turned to look at Garrus and waited for him to begin.

"Shepard's driving." The original Normandy crew all screamed.


	12. Let's be Pirates

Prompt: Let's be Pirates

Character: Shepard and Zaeed

Warning for language in this chapter. Zaeed does love to swear. lol

It was over. Standing at the window of the Starboard Observation just watching the stars, Luna Shepard contemplated her next move. The Collector Base was gone but she knew that even though she had won this battle, the war was far from over. She had received several messages from Anderson requesting that she turn herself into the Alliance but she was hesitating. There would be a review, or more likely a court martial, about her actions since being resurrected and she would be locked up during that time. With the Reapers coming, there wasn't time for her to be sitting and waiting for the Brass to make a decision.

She was so lost in thought, that she didn't hear the door open and jumped when Zaeed spoke. "You are missing one hell of a party." If he realized he startled her, he didn't say anything.

"Not really in a party mood tonight."

"Why not? We're big goddamn heroes."

"There is still so much to do and I am going to have to turn myself over to the Alliance and I don't think we can afford to lose that much time. They still don't fully believe me that the Reapers are coming."

"Fuck 'em then." Shepard turned to look at the older man in disbelief. "If they refuse to get their heads outta their ass then it's their problem. We can do whatever we goddamn want. We can continue to plan for those fuckers without all that bureaucratic bullshit or we can just leave them to their fate and go be fucking pirates."

Despite her mood, Luna couldn't stop herself from laughing at the idea. She pictured them both dressed in pirate costumes from the 20th century and found herself laughing even harder. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she took Zaeed by surprise when she hugged him. "Thanks. It feels like forever since I laughed like that."

Pulling back, he ruffled her hair like you would a child. "Yeah, I know you are too much of a goody goody for all that, but when you need me kid, just call." She just nodded as they both turned and gazed at the stars in silence. Luna was glad for the company.


	13. Killing Reapers & A Glorious Victory

Prompt: Killing Reapers & A Glorious Victory

Characters: Must focus on a non-council race (Elcor, Volus, Hanar, Vorcha etc.)

This was it. The final push. This battle would determine the fate of the entire galaxy. The Reaper forces had been coming at them in a seemingly endless assault from the moment they had landed on Earth. He had watched as other members of his clan had fallen, dying for a better future for the Krogans. The genophage had been cured and for the first time in his life, he had hope that he would hold a child of his blood in his arms. It was the only thing that kept him on his feet and fighting. He ejected another emptied clip and reloaded a new one.

His muscles were screaming at him and his vision was blurred by the blood in his eyes from a gash left by one of those big monstrosities when it caught him by surprise. The fact that one of those could sneak up on him spoke to how tired he was, or maybe the battle was loud enough to drown out it's footsteps.

He kept thinking about a girl back home on Tuchanka. He had never hoped to have a future with her because he wasn't strong enough to be considered for breeding, but now, just maybe, he could ask if she would be his.

He had fallen into a routine. Shoot, reload, move. Shoot, reload, move. He kept repeating it as he mowed down several husks. He had to keep moving. He had to keep fighting. Stopping now meant death and he wasn't ready to die. He dove behind some rubble with one of his clanmates when they heard the sickening scream of a banshee. Those things terrified him. He wanted to see it before it saw him. When it stepped out into the open, the remaining members of his troop all turned their weapons on it and opened fire. He watched two more die before it finally fell.

He knew they wouldn't last much longer. Every last Krogan in this battle would keep fighting no matter how much they hurt, no matter how tired they felt, but they were horribly outnumbered and that ratio kept growing with every death. The longer he waited for the Crucible to fire, the surer he got that it wasn't going to fire. They had failed. This is where they all died. He wanted to lay down his weapon but his pride refused to quit. He would fall with his rifle in hand and covered in Reaper blood. He loaded his last clip.

He took a deep breath and pictured a girl from back home before standing up from his cover and opening fire. He screamed as he unloaded on every Reaper troop he saw until his clip was empty but the husks kept coming. He held his rifle tighter and prepared himself to beat them with it like a club, demanding that they work for it if they wanted to take him down when a red light exploded in the sky and rushed over the battlefield.

He watched in shock as the Reaper forces all dropped to the ground motionless. All around him, those who had been so desperately fighting for their lives began to step out of cover and stare at each other, almost unable to believe what had happened. Then the first celebratory shout broke the silence and they all joined the cheering. It was over. They had done the impossible and won. He felt a hand smack his back and turned to see one of his troop members smiling. He smiled back.


	14. That had to hurt

Prompt: That had to hurt

Characters: Kai Leng, protagonist of your choice

Drabbles Due: February 3rd

He wasn't going to win this time. Kai Leng had killed her friend during the Citadel coup, had defeated her at Thessia, and had taunted her the whole time. This time she would emerge the victor. He had shown up to enforce TIM's warning of not overstaying their welcome. She imagined they overstayed simply by being there. They had been allowed to access the Prothean VI, no doubt because Leng was expected to take them out. That wasn't going to happen.

Kaidan and EDI handled the rest of the Cerberus troops so she could focus on Kai Leng. She was at a disadvantage without biotics but the training she had done with Kaidan had helped her adapt her style to compensate. She had been planning for this.

The fight had been long but she could feel that it was nearing an end. Her muscles were burning, a silent scream for rest but she kept pushing until he finally dropped to floor and was still. She was disappointed that it isn't more satisfying.

Turning away from him, she walks to the console. She had to get a message to Hackett about what the Prothean VI had told them. The clang of metal hitting metal behind her alerted her that he wasn't dead yet. She didn't react and continued to type her message while listening to his approach. She felt the air around her move as he raised his sword but before he could sink the blade into her back, she whipped around and shattered the weapon with her fist and activated her omni-blade. This time she felt the satisfaction she hadn't before as she buried the blade deep into his side.

"That was for Thane you son of a bitch." This time when he fell, he didn't move. Kaidan had ran to her side when he saw Kai Leng and now he turned to her and simply said, "That had to hurt."

"Good," was Shepard's reply.

The reappearance of the Prothean VI took her attention once more as it told her the Citadel was in position and the Reapers were ready to finish the harvesting of Earth.

"I'll stop them." It tried to protest but she cut it off. "I'll stop them," she said firmly before turning and walking out.


	15. I have always loved you

**Prompt: I've always loved you!**

 **Characters: Commander Shepard + 2nd Character of your choice (bonus points for NPCs!)**

 _ **After playing around with several ideas for this, I was surprised at the voice that won.**_

"I've always loved you." Commander Shepard turned a disbelieving eye to her krogan companion. "Well almost always at least." Wrex wasn't looking at her but out at the Tuchanka landscape. He had invited her to come see the rebuilding progress once she was cleared for travel. She kept quiet and waited for him to continue.

"In the beginning you were useful and after spending time on your team, it was easy to see why you were the human chosen to be a Spectre. You were a goddess on the battlefield. You should have been born a Krogan." He laughed at the image of a Krogan Shepard. She liked his laugh.

"I am not sure when I started to realize it was something more than simply admiring a fellow warrior, but I chose to ignore it for the most part. You had Alenko and T'soni following you around like varren pups and didn't need an old, scarred, grumpy Krogan added to that list. I am still surprised that you didn't end up with one of them."

"It worked out for the best. They both have someone now and they are happy."

"I suppose so."

"Are you happy?" she asked.

He seemed to think about her question for a bit before he answered. "I am. You helped me get everything I wanted for the Krogan people. We finally have a future and Bakara is the perfect partner to help me make sure we make the most of it." He turned to look at her. "What about you? Are you happy?"

She didn't have to think about her answer. "I am trying to be. You said you were scarred and so am I. Mine just don't show on the outside. My life has felt like one long fight. I am tired."

Wrex turned his gaze back to the landscape before he replied. "You could stay here. Retire and spend your days surrounded by rowdy kids and an old grumpy Krogan. The galaxy can find someone else to save it next time."

It would have been easy to dismiss the offer as teasing but given his confession she had no doubt that his offer was serious.

"What would Bakara think of having me around?"

"She respects you and is endlessly grateful to you. She also isn't the jealous type." He turned and winked at her, earning a smile and a very unShepard like giggle.

A comfortable silence fell between them and eventually Shepard lay her head against the Krogan's massive arm. "Urdnot Shepard does have a nice ring to it."

She didn't think she had ever seen Wrex smile that big before.


	16. Mirror, Mirror

Prompt: Mirror, Mirror - Take the character of your choice and swap their story with another character's. Bonus points if your scene involves both swapped characters. You can even flip the galaxy if you want to - benevolent Reapers, evil Alliance, etc.

Characters: your choice

Evie Shepard was terrified. She was a biotic and as a result she had been shipped off to BAAT. Men had showed up at her house and convinced her parents to send her to the new special training center for human biotics. She had begged not to go but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. From the moment she began showing signs, they had begun to act afraid of her and two days after she turned 16 she had left on a shuttle for a far off station.

She had never been good at making friends and now she was trapped in a strange place all alone. She saw the other students introducing themselves but no one seemed to notice her standing by herself in the corner. She was on the verge of tears when a voice spoke to her. "Hi! I am Jennifer but my friends call me Jack. What's your name?" "E-Evie," she stuttered. She hadn't noticed the other girl approach her. Jack held out her hand. "Nice to meet you Evie. Looks like we are going to be roomies." Evie took her hand and returned the other girl's smile. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

6 Months later.

This was hell. They were cut off from the outside world and worked until they could barely stand. The only thing that made it bearable for Evie had been Jack. Since their first meeting, the two girls had grown close. It was a running joke among the other students that if you needed one of them then just look for the other. The pair were rarely apart. Jack had been the one to comfort Evie when she was struggling with the training, and she used that word loosely as it was more like torture for the students.

Their relationship had slowly evolved from roommates, to friends, and finally into something romantic. Falling for each other had felt so natural and they would spend their evenings talking about the future and stealing kisses. They helped keep each other sane. Several kids had already snapped and had been pulled from the program.

One evening they had been walking back to their room from dinner when a few others called them over. "Hey, Shelby had finished rigging up the transmitter. We are going to try to get a message out to our families. Do you guys want to come too?" Evie and Jack both shook their heads. Neither had anyone they wanted to speak to.

The next morning, it was obvious something was wrong. They were denied water rations at breakfast and had only begun to complain when their "teacher" entered the room and screamed at them to get to the training room. They trampled and shoved each other in a rush to get there. No one wanted to piss Vyrnnus off. Evie had been shoved and had fallen to the floor. Jack helped her up and squeezed her shoulder, attempting to comfort her girlfriend. She was terrified of the turian.

When they entered the training room and saw Shelby tied up in the middle of the room with a huge pile of something next to him, they understood why Vyrnnus was so angry. His secret transmitter hadn't been secret. The turian showed them plans and told them to use the pile of parts to work together and recreate the image. Any mistake would result in starting over.

Over an hour passed and the first student passed out from exhaustion. No one was allowed to help and they were left lying on the floor. Evie was nearing her breaking point and Jack was doing her best to keep her from being the next to fall. Unfortunately Vyrnnus had noticed.

He praised Jack for a job well done, but he sneered at Evie. He pulled a glass of water over and offered it to the struggling girl, mocking her weakness. She was so thirsty and reached for it before Jack could stop her and was rewarded with a sickening crack as Vyrnnus snapped her arm so hard that the bone broke through the skin.

The rage Jack felt in that moment was almost immeasurable. She exploded, her biotics flaring out and sending Vyrnnus stumbling backwards. He would teach this human a lesson for daring to attack him. He shouldn't have underestimated Jack. The fight was short. A few blows traded before Jack put everything she had into a biotically charged punch, knocking Vyrnnus to the ground before leaping up and bringing a knee down on his head, snapping his neck.

The other students were stunned and when Jack realized what she had done, she shared the same look of horror everyone else wore. They didn't matter. She ignored them as she ran to Evie's side. "Are you okay?" Jack scolded herself internally for the stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay. She wrapped an arm around Evie's shoulder. "We need to get you to the medical ward." Evie just nodded wordlessly and followed Jack's lead.

A few days later she was being escorted off the base and sent home. The program had been shut down after Vyrnnus's death and the abuses had been discovered. The other's would be there for another week while arrangements were made to send them home but Jack wasn't allowed to stay. She was angry that she hadn't been allowed to see Evie since dropping her off with medical and didn't want to leave without telling her goodbye. She was fighting her guards when a voice screamed "Wait!" from behind them. Evie came running up and Jack met her halfway, wrapping her arms around her.

"I didn't think I would get to see you before I had to leave."

"They didn't want me to but I needed to see you too. I am afraid that this is the last time."

"Don't say that. We will find each other again. I promise!" She had just enough time for a goodbye kiss before the guards dragged her away.


	17. Irrational fears and phobias

Prompt: Irrational fears and phobias

Characters: Shepard + any of the Normandy crew

Today was Zoe Shepard's birthday. James had searched all over for the perfect present for his girlfriend and couldn't wait for her to open it at her party. He let himself into the apartment they shared and could hear voices. Some of the guests must have arrived early. He cursed in his head. He was hoping to have some time alone with her before everyone showed up.

"So, do you like him?"

"I love her! She is perfect!"

"I figured it would be easy to transfer back and forth from the Normandy to the apartment. I know you were upset you couldn't have a varren on board."

It sounded like Zoe and Kaidan. What were they talking about?

He walked into the room and Kaidan, who was facing him, called out a greeting. "Hey James."

At hearing his name, Zoe turned and revealed the giant tarantula she was holding. "Look what Kaidan got me for my birthday! Isn't she cute?"

When he told the story later, Kaidan lamented that he hadn't been able to get a picture of the look on James face as he screamed and scrambled to get as far away from the spider as he could.

"Keep that thing far away from me!"

"Don't call her a thing. You will hurt her feelings."

"I love you Zo, but I can not do spiders."

'What's wrong with spiders?"

"Just look at it! It's creepy with all those legs and eyes!"

The happiness that Shepard felt dropped at James words. "Kaidan can you give us a minute?"

"Yeah." He squeezed her on the shoulder as he walked by, a silent show of support. He knew what James didn't understand about the spider. She gently placed the spider back in her home and closed the lid before speaking.

"James, you are one of the few people I have spoken to about my life on Mindoir, before and during the attack. Do you remember what I told you about my friends?"

"Yeah. There weren't many kids your age so you mostly kept to yourself. You said you weren't lonely though because you always had a ton of pets..." He trailed off and Zoe could almost see the lightbulb form over his head. "I am an idiot."

"You are not an idiot. I am sorry that you don't like spiders but there are only so many pets I can keep on a warship. I grew up surrounded by animals and it is something that I have missed. I promise to never take her out of her terrarium when you are around and we can keep something heavy on the lid to make sure she can't escape if that will make you feel better."

"I think I can live with that." He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up to press his lips to hers. He would do anything to make her smile.


	18. Pain

Prompt: what you don't want to remember

Characters: anyone other than Shepard

"Where the fuck is it?" thought Kaidan as he stumbled around his apartment searching for another bottle of whiskey. He knew he had to have at least one full bottle left. He was beginning to feel sober and he couldn't handle sober. Sober never came alone. No, sober was cruel and brought with it the memories he was trying to drown back to the front of his thoughts, playing them over and over like a movie he couldn't turn off. His own mind was torturing him.

The memory of how her soft her lips felt against his during stolen moments on board the Normandy whenever they found themselves alone. The memory of how her body felt tucked up against his while they slept during their shore leave after the Citadel battle. The feel of her naked skin against his and the way she said his name like a prayer when he was buried deep inside her. The little crinkle in her brow when she was deep in thought and the way she laughed at stupid puns. He would give anything to hear that laugh again but she was gone, ripped away from him before they had even began to explore what it was between them.

He should have gone to look for her when everyone started heading for the escape pods after the attack. He had never once thought that she wouldn't make it to one. Liara had gotten angry at him and had went to look for Shepard herself. Maybe if he had gone after her instead of getting the crew to safety, to get Joker with her, maybe she would still be here. If Joker hadn't been so fucking stubborn, maybe she would still be here. If he had gone, he could have gotten Joker and died instead.

He had gone over and over in his mind the events of that day trying his damndest to figure out what he could have done to save her. He had been stuck, locked in that day, unable to escape. He had barely been able to function under the weight of his grief and guilt.

Anderson and Hackett both had ordered him to take leave. He had done his best to keep it together though her funeral, he wouldn't let her name or what they had be shamed by gossip, but they had seen right through him. They could see that he was taking her death far harder than any of the other crew. It wasn't a hard leap from there to realize that there had been more between them than was allowed. Neither had called him on breaking the regs because there was no point. She was gone.

He had gone straight from the memorial to buy as much whiskey as he could carry and had spent every day since then in an alcohol fueled haze. He had even bought her favorite brand in honor of the nights they had shared a bottle and talked about the past, getting to know each other slowly.

He continued to stumble around until he found the bag of bottles. Empty, empty, empty, why were they all empty? He grabbed one and threw it across the room. Instead of the satisfying sound of it smashing into a million pieces, it collided with the wall with a thud, leaving a dent behind and falling to the floor still intact.

The fact that the bottle didn't break left him even angrier and he felt himself snap. He raked everything off the counter into the floor. He turned and flipped the table over before heading into the living room. He let loose a heart wrenching scream as he biotically tossed a chair. He kicked the couch and sent it sliding all the way to the other side of the room. He continued his violent assault on the room, tossing furniture and punching a giant hole in the wall before he was finished.

He stared at the carnage he had caused, chest heaving with hard breaths, before sinking to his knees. There, finally, the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back began to fall freely down his face. He cried for everything he had lost and the future he couldn't have. He cried until he couldn't breath. He cried until there were no more tears left to shed but his body continued to quiver with dry sobs until he felt sick and he jumped up and ran for the bathroom, barely making it in time before his stomach expelled it's contents.

He stayed there, his head pressed against the cold porcelain, until he was sure it was safe to move and carefully stood and walked to the sink. He took in his appearance in the mirror. He looked like shit. His hair was a tangled mess, his eyes were red and bloodshot with dark circles underneath. He didn't recognize himself. Days of not bathing and barely sleeping while living on mostly alcohol had taken its toil.

He splashed water on his face and quickly brushed his teeth to eliminate the foul taste in his mouth before returning to the living room. Now calm, he took in all the damage his outburst had caused. What was he doing? This wouldn't have made Luna happy. If he let himself think about her for a moment, he could imagine exactly what she would say to him. _"Don't let your grief destroy you."_

It was similar to something she had told him once about the person she was before she joined the Alliance. _"I was consumed by anger back then. Every time I found a little bit of happiness, it was taken from me or mocked and it left me bitter. I almost gave up but I wouldn't let my anger destroy me and the person I wanted to be."_

He wanted to live by her example. She wouldn't want him to lose himself because of her. He didn't know if he could learn to live without the other half of his soul, but he had to try. He decided to take things one task at a time. First was the fallout of his anger.

It took him several hours to clean up the mess. He couldn't do anything about the wall today but it mostly looked the way it had before. Next on the list was food. There wasn't much in the fridge but he managed to make a few sandwiches that he ate slowly, he hadn't had any real food in days and he didn't want to end up hugging the toilet again. As he ate, he finally got a good whiff of himself, his nose turning up at the odor. Getting clean was definitely next.

He finished his meal and headed to the bathroom. He undressed while the water warmed up and then stepped into shower. The hot water felt better than he expected. He just stood there and let it cascade over his body. He let himself think of Luna and his eyes filled with tears. It wasn't fucking fair! Why would the universe bring such an amazing person, someone who made him so happy, into his life and then rip them away after only a moment?

His breathing began to speed up and he recognized the beginnings of a panic attack. He had never been prone to them but he had seen Luna have enough to know he was having one. He tried to remember the things she did to get through them.

Find something to focus on and control your breathing. Since he was in the shower, he focused on the feel of the water as it hit his back and the cold of the porcelain tiles of the wall under his hand. He began to mentally chant to himself, in and out, in and out, in and out, as he worked on slowing his breathing just like she used to do. It was several minutes before he felt calm enough to finish his shower. He also avoided thinking about Luna.

He spent the next few days on autopilot. Doing the things he needed too but numb to everything. He kept himself from thinking about anything.

One week after the memorial, there was a knock. He wasn't surprised to see Anderson. He waved him in and followed him to the living room where they both sat down.

They sat in silence for a moment before Anderson spoke. "How have you been?"

"I could ask the same of you sir." Very few people knew that Anderson had adopted Shepard when she was sixteen. She had kept her last foster mother's last name to prevent special treatment as his daughter. Losing her had to have been as hard for him as it had been for Kaidan.

"I've kept myself busy. It's hard but there is still a threat out there and I won't let her down by forgetting. That is part of why I am here. I want you to return to duty. You can't keep yourself locked up here forever. She needs us to fight."

Kaidan, who had been unable to meet Anderson's gaze, finally met his eyes. "I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can. You were an exemplary soldier before you met her and based on her reports, you are even better now. She needs those of us who believe the Reapers are coming to keep trying to prepare. The Alliance needs you to step up. You can't replace her but you can continue her legacy. I am going to tell you something she sent me in a report on her crew. 'Kaidan is one of the finest Marines I have ever served with. He is only held back by his own insecurities and fear of unleashing his full potential. Should anything ever happen to me, I have no doubt that he could fill my shoes and perhaps surpass me.' She believed in you Kaidan." Anderson stood and placed his hand on Kaidan's shoulder. "Don't let her down son." With those final words, he turned and left.

He sat there and let Anderson's words sink in and he made a decision. It wouldn't be easy, there would still be days (probably most of them) that he struggled, but he had to at least try. Anderson was right. There was still a fight coming and he would keep fighting it for her.


	19. Don't Stop Me Now

**The prompt was music and I chose Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. :)**

Raye Shepard wasn't know for their patience. A lot of people had learned that the hard way. Several more were learning it as they were witness to endlessly pacing around the Armax Arsenal Arena, stopping only to check their watch every few minutes before sighing heavily and continuing to pace.

Wrex was supposed to meet them at the arena twenty minutes ago. Raye was trying not to get angry at him as he had a meeting with the council earlier in the day and it wasn't his fault if it had run late. Shepard was convinced that the council members loved to hear themselves speak.

They didn't notice the man walking up to them until he spoke. "Commander Shepard?"

Raye turned at their name and the man's face instantly lit up. "I knew it was you! Are you here to play? I can't believe I get to watch Commander Shepard!" It wasn't long before a small crowd had formed around Raye. Everyone was excited to watch the game. A plan began to form. If they wanted a show, Raye would give them a show.

They had just finished setting up what they wanted with the arena crew when a booming voice yelled, "Can you people get out of my way!" The crowd parted and Wrex made his way to Raye.

"Sorry I am late. Meeting ran long."

"I assumed that is what it was. You ready for some fun. I bet you need a little stress relief."

"You know me well Shepard." He threw his arm around Raye's shoulders and they headed to the dressing area to suit up.

Once they were ready, they entered the arena and the viewing area was packed. It looked like everyone in the ward was watching. "You ready to give them a show old man?" "He, he, he. Let's show them how it's done."

The countdown timer started and Raye gave the signal to the technician. Wrex recognized the song that began to play over the speakers instantly. The first time he had heard it was the first time he had ridden in the Mako back when they were hunting Saren. Due to weather Joker had to drop them several miles from their destination and Raye had decided that they needed driving music.

"Classical music? Really Shepard?" asked Kaidan as Shepard's playlist played from her omni-tool. "Eh. My dad was a fan and passed on his love to me. I like it much better."

The sound of Shepard laughing hysterically as she drove straight down a mountain to this song is a memory Wrex would probably never forget. He shook off his trip down memory lane as the counter ended and the match began.

They worked together as a team perfectly, they always had, and the crowd was nearly drowning out the music as they cheered them on. They were both feeling the adrenaline rush that came with battle, both of them sporting giant grins. It was one of the things they originally bonded over. They were both warriors and they both felt alive when fighting. He was convinced Raye was supposed to be a krogan. Maybe they had been in another life.

He hadn't expected to finish all the rounds before the song ended but they only had one heavy mech left by the time the last note played. They had been having so much fun, they had beat every round in record time. The last match ended with a bang as the mech exploded and the crowd roared. Raye held their hand up for a high five but he grabbed it instead and pulled her close, not really caring that they had an audience.

"How about another round?"

"You say the sweetest things," was Raye's response before kissing his cheek.


End file.
